The banjo is a stringed instrument with, typically, four or five strings, which vibrate a membrane of plastic material or animal hide stretched over a circular frame. The banjo is usually associated with country, folk, classical music, Irish traditional music and bluegrass music. Recently, the banjo has enjoyed inclusion in a wide variety of musical genres, including pop crossover music, indie rock and Celtic punk.
The modern banjo comes in a variety of forms, including four- and five-string versions. A six-string version, tuned and played similarly to a guitar, has gained popularity. In almost all of its forms, banjo playing is characterized by a fast arpeggiated plucking, though there are many different playing styles.
The body, or “pot,” of a modern banjo typically consists of a circular rim (generally made of wood, though metal was also common on older banjos) and a tensioned head, similar to a drum head. Traditionally the head was made from animal skin, but today is often made of various synthetic materials. Most modern banjos also have a metal “tone ring” assembly that helps further clarify and project the sound, however, many older banjos did not include a tone ring.
Modern banjos are typically strung with metal strings. Usually the fourth string is wound with either steel or bronze-phosphor alloy. Some banjo players may string their banjos with nylon or gut strings to achieve a mellower, old-time tone.
One of the most critical parts of a banjo is the bridge. Varying the banjo bridge can change the sound quality and sound character or tone of a banjo. The mass of the bridge is extremely important for proper banjo tone production, and this is a primary purpose of proper banjo setup. A heavy bridge will mute the instrument, and for this reason, many experienced banjo players routinely remove excess wood from bridges with a Dremel® Tool,®, or the like. This will increase the volume and brighten the sound. Some banjo players do not usually find it necessary to alter these bridges by removing any wood from them. The bridge on a banjo is not permanently attached to the head, so it is possible for a bridge to move out of position.
The reason for banjo bridges having openings is to cut down on the mass of the bridge. Heavier bridges make for a mellower tone. Very light bridges make a bright sound. Most banjo players and builders already know it takes a very heavy dense wood to give a good banjo sound. Maple has been traditionally used to construct banjo bridges, but it has to be shaved very thin to compensate for the inherent heaviness of the wood. Neither the number of feet, nor the sizes of space between feet openings in the bridge base seem to affect the tone.
Some banjo bridges have string saddles, but this is optional. Likewise, some banjo bridges have an optional block of material positioned between the bridge and the strings, often this block is formed from a very hard material. A very hard material will add to the brilliance, overtones and sustaining of a note. Ebony, ivory, many plastics, and pearl is what is typically recommend in constructing a single large block or numerous individual blocks positioned under each string.
While all banjos and related instruments have a bridge, the configuration of the conventional banjo bridge has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years, and it is the purpose of the present invention to introduce a remarkable new change to banjo bridge configuration.
The banjo bridge provided in the prior art that is described may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which it addressed, it differs from the present design as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of the prior art patent most relevant to this application at hand, as well a description outlining the difference between the features of the Contoured Banjo Bridge and the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,759,650 of Charles D. Deering describes a separate tone plate bridge base mechanical string energy initial peak compression device for a banjo comprising: a) a separate tone flat plate positioned between the banjo drum head and the banjo bridge which is retrofitted beneath the banjo bridge; and wherein said separate tone flat plate acts as a limiter to initial peak energy coming from the strings when the banjo is played for the purpose of increasing the level of energy released during sustain time, thus enabling a banjo player to play music with increased sustain, thereby enabling a broader general use of the instrument.
This patent does not provide the benefits attendant with the Contoured Banjo Bridge. The present design achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art device through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Contoured Banjo Bridge in detail it is to be understood that the design is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.